Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Docking stations are a mixed bag. You can get what you want from them or not.
This unit is interesting and can improve your life in some respects by adding additional features and functions to the X200 series.
Why would anyone get a docking port? Well, for one, with Win 7 it likes to create new devices in every USB port you plug a device into. A docking station can manage your USB connections while you just take the laptop with you, when you get back you snap it together and you have all your USB devices at once, while you recharge. This could be any external drive types, printers, speaker systems and external displays that you wish to use. It can be best thought of as a cable management system for when you return to your desk or room, that you can attach in 1 second.
This web page, lists the full set of features for this docking station. [...]. That page lists all the true capabilities of the unit unlike the regular product page.
The speakers in the base unit are better than those in the laptop, and are supposed to have enhanced bass.
The whole unit gives an additional rear elevation to the unit which can make it more comfortable to type on.
Lenovo/IBM have been making ejectable devices to plug into the docking stations for more than a decade. You can add a battery pack to the internal Ultrabay, a hard drive, several kinds of optical RW (including BlueRay. There is a port to charge a second laptop battery and improved stereo speakers. There are connections for your gigabit eithernet, headphones, microphone and 4 more USB ports.
X200 series screens are small at 12.1" so the ability to have TWO external monitors (the unit's monitor is blanked) is nice. These can be a DisplayPort monitor port supporting 2560 x 1600 maximum resolution and the VGA analog port supporting 2048 x 1536 maximum resolution. However if you attach a converter to the DisplayPort the resolution goes down to 1920x1200. More settings are determined by the graphics accelerator on the laptop.
If you have a x200T or X201T you can use the screen as a traditional tablet while having two external monitors.
Additionally this unit can enhance your security with it's key lock mechanism for connections. If you use the docking base unit's standard Kensington lock port for your cable lock, and then lock the laptop to the dock (there is a keyed lock to keep the dock and laptop together; actually locking it is optional), you will have an audible alarm if someone tries to detach it. Besides the key, there is a two step process to remove the dock, a power off slide to allow a safe removable media detachment from the OS and a leaver eject the laptop from base. If you try to detach without unlocking the physical key, the audio alarm will sound.
Are there missing functions or possibilities? Yes. Here's my short list:
1. HDMI port and or DVI-D
2. eSata (however, you can buy a SATA drive to use in the Ultrabay with a Ultrabay HDD adapter (see that web page for part numbers, it's not included). The added benefit is that the drive can be used as a part of the 'airbag' software to retract the HDD's heads if the unit is dropped.)
3. sub-woofer port and/or full surround sound port.
4. The location of the Kensington lock could be better so that all Kensington type locks can be used, with some such as the keyed version of a Kensington lock, the lock unit is a a bit tight when you leave the kensington attached and just want to dock and undock the laptop.
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Lenovo X200 ULTRABASE 43R8781 Docking Stations
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